Decorating an Outdoor Kitchen for Halloween

Hosting an outdoor Halloween party on a chilly October night might not be the first thing that comes to mind as you’re wrapped up in your autumn clothing, however, depending on where you live, or how the weather holds up on a given year, an outdoor party might be the perfect event to celebrate the season! If you’re the owner of an outdoor kitchen, it’s innately the ideal spot to host a Halloween event.

As trick-or-treating is an outdoor event, an outdoor kitchen combines the best of both worlds. The place where the food and nature meet creates an environment fit to be both spooky and sophisticated, depending on which way you turn your décor. The following are a few helpful tips when you’re decorating an outdoor kitchen for Halloween and creating an event your friends won’t forget!

Mummified Gazebo

Many outdoor kitchens are designed to be gazebo-esque in style. When it comes to decorating an outdoor kitchen for Halloween, nothing lends itself better to a mummified touch than outdoor support columns. Feel free to channel your inner ancient Egyptian and take to the columns with toilet paper, tissue paper or anything else you feel like wrapping with. It will give your kitchen some color when light fades, and add a little touch of the tomb as well.

Go cobweb crazy

Unlike the kitchen, living room or interior bathrooms where you’re limited to adding fake cobwebs only to home surfaces, an outdoor kitchen provides nature to web as well! So go crazy when it comes to adding those cobwebs and feel free to cover not only chairs, countertops and columns, but plants and bushes as well. Incorporating your yard into your outdoor kitchen theme will not only make the space appear bigger, but create a more inclusive atmosphere for your guests.

Give your guests a hand

An easy way to add a little fun and the slightest amount of fear to your outdoor kitchen decorating is to take plain black winter gloves and attach them to the backs of your guest chairs or bar stools. When added to both sides, this gives the appearance of phantom hands grabbing the chair and will gives your guests something to wonder and most likely, giggle about.

Pay attention to the runner

Hosting a Halloween party outside comes with its share of risks. The more people you around in natural elements, the more likely that someone will spill or stain your outdoor kitchen. This can be a major concern if you’ve invested in beautiful granite countertops to act as your kitchen’s centerpiece. A good solution when decorating for Halloween and also protecting those precious surfaces is to put a lot into the table runner you’ll use outside. For example, if you have lighter toned granite countertops, consider choosing a vivid black runner and place creepy crawly plastic critter on top. Not only will this be a great addition to your party’s theme, but it will protect your surfaces from any unforeseen party accidents, or even, unexpected weather situations.

Use the yard!

Your yard is going to be your biggest asset when you’re decorating your outdoor kitchen for Halloween. Try incorporating funny and spooky elements such as adding big, fake eyes to some of the bushes to give the appearance there’s something scary lurking behind. Or, if you’re more into humor, try adding fake tombstones around the yard with clever lines or jokes written on them. They’ll be great conversation starters and really boost the Halloween atmosphere while they’re at it.

Let the lighting shine

Lighting is key when setting up the perfect Halloween atmosphere around your outdoor kitchen. Since it will most likely be dark when you’re party really kicks off, using low-glow lighting would create a great eerie tone to your kitchen. Try using standard string lights underneath the countertop to create a downcast glow, or even a string of lanterns to give an old feel to your décor.

Pumpkin perimeter

Depending how many people you like to host at your outdoor kitchen, your Halloween décor may need to take on the role of space creation tool as well. Luckily, this holiday provides the perfect opportunity for packing in the pumpkins and creating a season perimeter that will give guests a better sense of your outdoor kitchen’s roaming space.

Kick up the décor shock factor by buying pumpkin stands that are tilted so that pumpkins attached to the stand appear to be precariously stacked. Use pumpkin arrangements to bring attention to certain parts of your outdoor kitchen or even your yard. Additionally, they can be used to create pathways to designated areas, activities or social centers.

Don’t forget about the basics when it comes to decorating your outdoor kitchen with pumpkins. Jack-O-Lanterns add a great glow to your culinary experience and small pumpkins can even be carved out to hold tiny tea lights and work as table candles that will also protect your countertops.